The Don MacKenzie Charitable Foundation Grants Completed by the Heartland Council Pioneers in 2022 calendar year
TelecomPioneers Charitable Foundation (TPCF) Grants, now named the Don Mackenzie Grants, are grants for educational and/or charitable community service projects that make a significant impact in local communities and generate substantial recognition for the Pioneers. The annual Foundation grant awards are determined by the prior year’s investment earnings. The distribution allocation percentage to each group will be based on year-end membership numbers.
Pioneers takes a grassroots approach towards volunteerism, responding to the unique needs of our hometowns. Pioneers submit grant applications on behalf of the local schools/school systems and/or community service projects they support. The Foundation will fund local Pioneers educational and charitable activities, and not merely serve as a distributor of funds to unaffiliated schools/school systems or other organizations.
The strength of Pioneering is the volunteer. Pioneers projects are as diverse as the communities we serve. We take a grassroots approach towards volunteerism, responding to the unique needs of our hometowns. The Pioneers Charitable Foundation Fund (Foundation) provides grants for educational and/or charitable community service projects that make a significant impact in local communities and generate substantial recognition for the Pioneers.
Below are just our Don MacKenzie Grant Projects for the Pioneer Year of 2022 for the Heartland Council of New Outlook West Ch. 131. The last photo is a picture of our December 2022 Life Member Luncheon. The picture of the LML is just a reversal of the group and saved as one. It turned out as a eye catching photo and we decided to post it as one of our non-grant projects. Around 115 Omaha Works retiree enjoyed a great luncheon and get together. The Don MacKenzie projects will be listed in order.
- 1. 31st TurkeyFest co-sponsored with the Salvation Army serving around 1500 meals annually at Thanksgiving
- 2. The next is Hook and Needles that started in 1987 with 157 members.
- 3. Line 3 is Care Bears of Lincoln, NE. They moved here from CA and are working with a number of groups doing community service in the name of Pioneering
- 4. The Hug A Bears group started around 1991 or 1992 and had over 55 members at the time. From around 2000 to date the group has produced over 53,000 HAB’s. The lady that makes Quilts of Honor has been making them for some time. I encourage you to google Quilts of Valor and find out more about them
- 5. We found out from a nurse at the Hospice House that there are items that they need all year and Heartland has been helping them secure the needed items
- 6. The next is Bellevue, NE Food Bank. This was a new Grant Project of the Heartland Council
- 7. Hot Fans is a project by the Salvation Army to provide fans to the elderly that need them during the hot months of the summer and Heartland Council buys fans and donate them to the drive each year
- 8. The WCA is the go-to place for anyone in the Omaha area who is experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking. This was also a new project this year
- 9. This is a photo of Heartland Council’s Life Member Luncheon in December 2022. This is one of our non-grant projects that takes place 3 time a year. The picture was made to see what it looked like and turned into an eye catcher. Actually around 115 retiree’s of the Omaha Works enjoy the time together and the meal
| N.O.W. Ch. 161 Heartland Council | Grant Name | Requested $ | Contact | Grant funded | Heartland Council Funded | Total Spent |
| Heartland Council | Hooks & Needles | $4,000 | Bob Wolkins | $600.00 | $2,183.96 | $2,783.96 |
| Heartland Council | Hug A Bears | $4,000 | Bob Wolkins | $600.00 | $40.19 | $640.19 |
| Heartland Council | TurkeyFest | $3,000 | Bob Wolkins | $1,835.00 | $623.58 | $2,458.58 |
| Heartland Council | Cozy Wraps | $4,000 | Bob Wolkins | $3,000.00 | $17.61 | $3,017.61 |
| Heartland Council | Care Bears – Lincoln | $2,500 | Bob Wolkins | $500.00 | ($25.45) | $474.55 |
| Heartland Council | Hot Fans | $3,000 | Bob Wolkins | $1,500.00 | $249.30 | $1,749.30 |
| Heartland Council | Hospice Housel | $700 | Bob Wolkins | $600.00 | ($278.46) | $321.54 |
| Heartland Council | Sunshine Project | $500 | Bob Wolkins | $360.00 | $144.47 | $504.47 |
| Heartland Council | WAC | $1,500 | Bob Wolkins | $1,150.00 | $3.63 | $1,153.63 |
| Heartland Council | Food Bank | $2,000 | Bob Wolkins | $1,150.00 | $1,350.00 | $2,500.00 |
| Total Funded by New Outlook Region | $25,200 | NO Funding | $11,295.00 | $4,308.83 | $15,603.83 |
Submitted by the Volunteers of Heartland Council Pioneers